Mount rider optimization!

[Mortium]

Hey all,

It's been a while and I got the opportunity to play a progression style gold dragon from level 1 up. Trouble is, they don't seem to be that powerful compared to what PC's can get to be like. Heck, a paladin with good leadership can end up with one of me as a mount at higher levels, and I saw an ubermount thread that just goes nuts.

Is there some way I can turn the ubermount on its head and get myself a cohort that works in a similar way?

http://community.wizards.com/forum/previous-editions-character-optimization/threads/967311

[sideswipe]

well just get enough leadership and improved cohort (so they are 1 ECL below you) then build an ubercharger cohort with your DM. probably a paladin with a lance version since i think that would fit well.

[Prime32]

This thread might help. (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=25)

[Urpriest]

One simple thing is that a rider with a good Ride skill can essentially prevent one attack against you per round by substituting Ride for your AC.

[Theomniadept]

I've always been fond of a Halfling Paladin 6/Beastmaster 1/Halfling Outrider 10/ Wild Plains Outrider 3

At 9th you take Devoted Tracker to combine that celestial (planar sub paladin 6) dog mount with your animal companion from Beastmaster, and take Natural Bond and suddenly the dog has more levels than you, plus it can have the Warbeast template. Then if you really wanna kick some butt take that one feat from Draconomicon that gives you a dragon mount and this thing will have more HD than you, all in d12s.

[Urpriest]

I've always been fond of a Halfling Paladin 6/Beastmaster 1/Halfling Outrider 10/ Wild Plains Outrider 3

At 9th you take Devoted Tracker to combine that celestial (planar sub paladin 6) dog mount with your animal companion from Beastmaster, and take Natural Bond and suddenly the dog has more levels than you, plus it can have the Warbeast template. Then if you really wanna kick some butt take that one feat from Draconomicon that gives you a dragon mount and this thing will have more HD than you, all in d12s.

A fun build to be sure, but not one that helps the OP. The OP wants a cohort that can give its dragon PC bonuses, and you can't have a PC that's somebody's animal companion or special mount.

[Mortium]

Urpriest is right. I'm looking for a way to have those bonuses apply to me directly as the mount/animal companion.

[Curbstomp]

Take Leadership and Improved Cohort.

Get a Paladin 5 / Prestige Paladin 5 as your cohort with the alternative class feature (or simple DM permission) to take you as the special mount. Burn a feat if you need to. Make sure the Paladin has Spirited Charge and a Lance. Then send him into Dragon Rider once he gets high enough level.

You'll pick up bonus HD, Natural Armor, and stat boosts. Eventually a speed boost as well from Dragon Rider.

[A_S]

Take Leadership and Improved Cohort.

Get a Paladin 5 / Prestige Paladin 5 as your cohort with the alternative class feature (or simple DM permission) to take you as the special mount. Burn a feat if you need to. Make sure the Paladin has Spirited Charge and a Lance. Then send him into Dragon Rider once he gets high enough level.

You'll pick up bonus HD, Natural Armor, and stat boosts. Eventually a speed boost as well from Dragon Rider.
1. Paladin and Prestige Paladin aren't supposed to coexist.

2. Having bonuses assigned to you by being your Cohort's Special Mount would be cool if your DM allowed it, but there's no reason to think it'd be anything but a straight houserule. The class features that get you a critter do just that, they get you a critter. Nothing in their text suggests you can pick any particular existing critter and assign your bonuses to it at will.

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For the OP's purposes, the Mounted Combat feat (which Urpriest already mentioned) is all I can think of that's specific to riding. Other than that, it's just general advice for support characters: Dragonfire Inspiration Bard would be good, there are White Raven Tactics shenanigans that could help you out, etc.

[Curbstomp]

1. RAW does not appear to forbid it, but I agree that it was the intent. That said, a Paladin of Tyranny 5/ Blackguard 5 would work just as well for an evil dragon rider and have the exact same mechanical bonus.

2. Actually Draconomicon lets you get a (new) mount which is a dragon as a paladin. This replaces your previous mount if any.

In this case playing as the dragon... it would require DM allowance to let it apply to your character specifically, but it makes sense particularly if the paladin is your follower. A follower is someone who was attracted to you via leadership score in the first place. Obviously it is much easier to play as the rider and much more clearly covered by RAW.

[Urpriest]

2. Actually Draconomicon lets you get a (new) mount which is a dragon as a paladin. This replaces your previous mount if any.


Again, not a preexisting Dragon though, rather, one that you call with the feat. And necessarily one typical of its kind, which a PC will not be.

There are a few PrCs that let you pick any preexisting creature as your mount, but they're 3.0 and poorly thought through (thinking particularly of Windrider from MotW). Besides, you don't want bonus HD because they'll make your ECL even more messed up.

There are options besides Mounted Combat that are useful, though. Just looking through the mount handbook linked above uncovers a fair number. Dragonrider for instance is handy.